Upcoming Meetings & Events

May Club Meeting - 5/1/15In May, weather permitting, we are going to feature some outdoor demos - Cast Netting & Fish Filleting. We may even have a few members bring in samples of their favorite striper recipes. Of course will also be talking fishing and Pat Massa from the SML Water Safety Council will be joining us to speak about water & boating safety.

Take Pride in Smith Mountain Lake (Lake Clean-up Day) - 5/2/15We will again be staffing the Indian Point location, as well as be dispatching a crew out on the water to retrieve debris. Lunch will be provided for those who participate. We need a few more volunteers, so please contact Bob Rowe at (540) 719-0224 if you can help.

Freedom Alliance Event - May 14th & 15thWe will again be hosting a group of recovering veterans for two days to enjoy the peaceful waters & exciting fishing Smith Mountain has to offer. We will be hosting around 10 soldiers for two days of fishing and will need 5-6 boats plus some support resources. If you are interested in participating, please contact Mike Ward at (336) 437-4114 or mwardncsu@bellsouth.net

June Club Meeting - 6/5/15Summer-time trolling. Members Steve Nagle and Don Hutchinson will lead a discussion on trolling in the summer-time.

SMSC Member Fishing Outing & Cook-Out - 6/13/15We will be hosting a Member outing on Saturday, June 13th with some fun competition, followed by a cook-out & fellow-ship at the 4H Picnic Pavilion in the early afternoon. See more details later in the newsletter

Bedford Youth Day - JuneVolunteers will be needed to assist with cooking lunch for the participants in the annual Bedford Youth Day at the Smith Mountain State Park. Contact Marshall Harris for more information.

In-Water Boat Show - Tentative for June We are working to finalize the date, but look for more details on this for June

President's Corner

I really cannot believe that I am writing this for the May/June newsletter. Winter hung on so long this year that it seems Spring has come and is going by in a flash. Heck, I cut my grass for the 1st time just this week (not that it did not need it much earlier, but between rain & fishing I didn't have a chance). However, once the grips of Old Man Winter let go, the fishing around the lake has gotten pretty good - and as we enter the spawn season I am hearing reports of large numbers being caught down-lake in their "spawning grounds" (caught a few myself this weekend).

Spring is always a busy time for the Club. I am not going to try and touch on everything here as the key events are covered elsewhere in this newsletter. However, know that we definitely need your assistance and support in various events - and with all we have going on, there is an event that should be interesting and attractive to everyone.

I want to personally thank the many new members which have joined the Club in the last few months. I am excited to see the increase in our membership - as well as a solid return of our existing members for 2015. To that point, your Club's leadership team wants to hear from you on what you want to see from the Club - last month a Survey was distributed to solicit that input. If you've already responded - thank you! If you haven't, please do so by the May meeting. Remember, if you submit your name/contact info with the survey, or turn in your form directly to a member of the Club leadership team at the May meeting, you will receive a $5 credit to the Ship's Store... and what better timing given all the new items becoming available in the store in May.

I hope that you are getting a chance to get out there and enjoy the wonderful fishery that we have - and I thank each of you for your participation and support of the Club as we all work to ensure we have this great resource to enjoy for decades to come!

Fish On! - Mike Ward

Water Temperature - April 23rd

While it seems we had a LONG winter, and a cool Spring thus far - water temperatures are actually in line with where they were the past two years for the same weeks, in the lower 60's on the surface and the depths in the upper 40's.

Perhaps more importantly at the moment is the water clarity - or as is the case in much of the lake - the lack of it. As of 4/25 there was heavily occluded water down to R32 on the Roanoke side with very stained water down to the Coast Guard Aux station area. The creeks below the bridge seem OK in terms of clarity and the lower lake is close to its normal pristine water. Hopefully the mud will settle out before the majority of the fish return back up the lake.

March & April Meeting Overviews

Jerry Hale speaks to the Club

March was our annual Swap Meet & Hot Dog supper. We will also had Dan Wilson, DGIF Biologist, on-hand to present an update on the state of the Striper fishery at SML as well as Sgt. Karl Martin, Conservation Police Officer, which share with us their plans for 2015 related to conservation enforcement activities at Smith Mountain Lake. Sgt. Martin shared background on the areas his group focuses on (regulation & safety enforcement) along with various tales of interesting experiences on the water. He also conveyed the message of the importance of getting our younger generation involved in the outdoors.

Dan Wilson provided an update on the fishery and activities that have been underway form the biologist side. One area he discussed was the level go bait bio-mass and a potential link between larger bait and our striper growth rate - and concerns that we may not have enough larger shad as Spring arrives each year to help promote a healthy, "normal" growth rate for our striper.

In April, Marshall Harris helped us to "Think Like a Striper" sharing some in-depth learnings on why, how and where stripers live & feed - along with many useful tips that will help you catch more fish. Little tips like the type of hook he uses to pouring a little Mountain Dew down the gills of a fish if they are bleeding from being cut with a deep hook. His core message was to think about what you are doing when fishing, and to try something different so that you learn from it. We also presented Joe Esposito and Mike Ward with their "striper pins" in recognition of catching a citation striper as recognized by the DGIF Angler Recognition Program. We look forward to awarding more of these pins in the coming months.

Reminder: Slot Size Regulation Change Effective January 1, 2015No fish 30"-40" may be kept from November 1 to May 30.

Lake Clean-up Day - May 1st

Once again we will be staffing the Indian Point Marina collection point - we need a few strong backs and willing bodies to assist in staffing the marina site, as well as going out on the provided pontoon to collect debris from the surrounding area.

Lunch will be provided at the event.

Contact Bob Rowe (540-719-0224) if you are able to participate.

New Items in the Ship's Store

We will have our SMSC shirt design available in at the May meeting so bring your checkbook or cash! T-shirts, Hoodies, Zipper Hoodies & Hats will all be available. Pick up some new SMSC gear for yourself, your family and fishing partners! It is a great way to spread word of the Club around the community as well.

Website Password Changing

We will be changing the password to the Member's Only section of the Club Website at the end of April. This password will be sent out via e-mail to all members as of April-end. If you've not already renewed for 2015, please make sure you do so prompty to ensure that you receive notification of the new password when changed.

Note that this password is independent of your Discussion Forum User ID / Password - you set those on your own. We will however deactivate accounts for users which are not active members.

Member Catches

Spring is here and the big fish have been biting! As always, we love to feature member catches - please submit yours - you can post them to the Club Facebook page, or send them to smsc@SmithMountainStriperClub.com.

Keith Mattson with a 38.25" Citation caught in early April!

Rick & Joanne Boettcher spotted on the water doing a little catching!

Tyler Early with a 37" citation as Keith Mattson tries to steal some fame.

Mike Ward with a 38.25" citation - his 2nd in April (and, as it turns out - the same fish caught by Keith 5 days earlier)

Ernie Lefebvre shows off a limit from early April.

Steve Nagle showing off a early Spring night-time striper.

Macky with an early Spring catch.

Does the Color of Your Lure Matter?

The contents of this article are reproduced from: http://www.starlofishing.com/back-to-basics/does-the-colour-of-your-lure-matter/

Most keen anglers have a favorite lure or fly color, and swear that their choice will out-perform all other offerings. But just how important is color when it comes to lure and fly selection? Well, according to science, not very important at all! Water progressively absorbs or blocks light of different wavelengths, meaning that colors effectively “vanish” one after another as “white” sunlight travels through the water column. The overall intensity or brightness of visible light also diminishes rapidly underwater.

Because this absorption is greater for longer wavelengths (the red end of the spectrum) than for shorter wavelengths (the blue end of the spectrum), perceived colors are rapidly altered with increasing depth or distance through the water.The precise rate at which this loss of color occurs varies depending on the intensity of the sunlight, whether the sun is directly overhead or low on the horizon, the amount of cloud cover, as well as the clarity and color of the water itself, and the presence of any suspended matter such as weed or plankton. Even in very clear ocean currents far from shore, less than 25 percent of available sunlight hitting the sea’s surface will penetrate much beyond 30 feet or so. By the time we reach a depth of 300 feet, the remaining light may be as little as 0.5 percent of that available on the surface. In other words, it’s a pretty gloomy place down there! In freshwater lakes and rivers, this loss of light with depth is even more dramatic.

As already mentioned, red is the first color visible to our eyes to disappear, and is typically gone within 15 or 20 feet of the surface. much less in turbid water. Orange disappears next, then yellow, green, and purple. Blues penetrate deepest of all, both the tones visible to our human eyes and also the shorter, ultra-violet wavelength many fish can see. This phenomenon has a profound impact on the way things look to us, and also to fish underwater. White objects will appear bluish or gray underwater, and the darkness of that blue/gray appearance increases rapidly with depth. Red objects will begin to look dark brown or even black within a few meters of the surface. Down at 40 or 50 feet, even in very clear water, the world appears to be composed entirely of shades of gray, blue, and black.

It’s worth stressing that this loss or alteration of visible colors occurs in both the vertical and the horizontal or diagonal planes. So, 40 feet of vertical depth has roughly the same impact on light waves and color perception as 40 feet of horizontal or diagonal separation between object and observer. In other words, a red lure may look black when viewed at a depth of 40 feet, but it will also appear black, or at the least brown or very dark grey, when viewed from the side at a distance of 40 feet, even if it’s traveling right up in the surface layer.

At face value, this phenomenon of light and color loss underwater makes a mockery of the importance of color in lures anywhere beyond shallow, ultra-clear scenarios, yet anglers the world over will continue to argue that one color is better than another, even in deep-water jigging. The funny thing is, if you ask half a dozen fishers for their opinion on the most effective lure color, you’re likely to receive six different answers. Perhaps it’s time we moved color to the bottom of the list of criteria when choosing a lure or fly, and placed far greater emphasis on the size, action, profile, and speed of our offerings.

In Remembrance - Danny Foster

It is with sadness that we pass along that Danny Foster passed away on April 15 from heart complications. Danny was a member of the Club for the last several years, though he did not get a chance to make meetings very often due to his work schedule. Some of you may know and recognize Danny from his other love - that of a USCG-AUX member, in performing safety checks on your boat at our In-Water Boat Show or at other locations around the lake. Danny always had encouraging words to say to fellow members on our Club's Facebook Page & Discussion Forum. He will be missed and our thoughts & prayers go out to his family.

2015 Fish Ladder

The fish ladder is back for 2015. This will be a fun, year-long competition that has no cost to enter. Just submit a picture of a striper caught during 2015 in Smith Mountain or Leesville Lake against a measuring device which clearly shows the length of the fish to secure a rung on the ladder. You can submit multiple fish throughout the year - but you can hold only one "rung" - so as you improve on your year's personal best you can improve your chances. Pictures can be submitted via e-mail to the Club's e-mail address (smsc@smithmountainstriperclub.com), post to the the Club's Facebook page, or bring a copy to a meeting.

Welcome New Members

We'd like to take a moment to welcome our newest Members in the Smith Mountain Striper Club! Thus far in 2015 we've had 19 new members join the Club, and we want to say "Thank You & Welcome" to each of you. We look forward to your involvement in the Club.

Robert Hall - Goodview, VA

Andrew Harrison - Roanoke, VA

Joe Cronin - Goodview, VA

Henry Wilson - Goodview, VA

Greg Carter - Huddleston, VA

Jesse Lucas - Bedford, VA

Herb Edwards - Lynchburg, VA

John Hall - Farmville, VA

Pete Smith - Forest, VA

Jonathan Worley - Big Island, VA

Patrick Eaton - Raleigh, VA

Ray Witte - Moneta, VA

Kurt Hammerschmidtt - Montpelier, VA

Kurt Gellner - Goodview, VA

Charlie Boise - Broad Run, VA

Dustin Pate, Franklin, GA

We always welcome new members to the Club and ask all our existing members to make a point of inviting a guest to a meeting or event so that they too can see what the Club is about and learn & share with us.

"Fun in the Sun" Member/Guest Outing - June 13

We are going to take a departure from the tournament model we held the past two years and hold one "fun" outing and one "competitive" tournament this year. In June we will hold a "fun" Member/Guest tournament on June 13th. Since the slot will be out, and we need to collect fish for a Club fish-fry, the format of this tournament will be two-fish total weight, with no fish under 20". Lines-in will be at 5:30 am with weigh-in opening at 1pm and closing at 2pm. Weigh-in will be held at the 4H Pavilion and will be followed by lunch & awards. The entry fee is a modest $10 per adult, with children under 15 years old being free. The entry fee includes the tournament costs, lunch and awards/prizes. The registration deadline will be June 5th at the Club meeting - and a registration form and rules will be available at the May meeting, and sent out via email before hand.

Certificates/plaques will be awarded to 1st - 3rd place in the Adult & Children's category, and then each individual which participates will receive one raffle ticket, along with one ticket per fish weighed in. We have some nice prizes to raffle off at the weigh-in - so come and test your luck with both the fish as well as the prizes. We will also hold a 50/50 to sweeten the pot.

What better excuse than to get out on the water for some fun fishing, followed by fellowship & lunch with Club members. Please consider inviting a guest to fish with you as a way to introduce them to the Club and what we are all about. We look forward to seeing you there!

Fishing Outlook for May & June

May means Spawn/Post-Spawn fishing, and you can expect to find large number of fish concentrated in the lower lake area. For those fishing with live bait, alewifes and smaller gizzards fished on free-lines and light-lines early in the morning, transitioning to downlines as the sun rises are sure to produce fish. Don't hesitate to have a few large baits in the tank as well however as May always produces some citations and often those will come ofd bigger shad when the fish are post-spawn and ready to chow down again. You are likely to need to search for the fish on your electronics to find them on a given day, but anchoring on a point or an ambush area, and putting baits on the bottom, is another low-stress way to land some fish - and often some good numbers. While a large number of fish will be in the lower lake, not all make that journey - and you may be rewarded by swimming against the current and trying some of the less pressured areas up the lake as well.

Keep a casting rod at the ready with a top-water lure as May has been known for frequent and large surface feedings in the mornings in the lower part of the lake. There is nothing like seeing fish coming up and breaking for acres.

As we transition into June and the water warms, the fish that had been down at the bottom of the lake will begin to move back up the river arms to the mid-lake areas. Targeting main channel points and main creek mouths would be a good tactic. Do not overlook the backs of the creeks first thing in the morning where the fish may have moved in to feed before moving back out to the safety of deeper waters as the sun rises during the day. The fish will generally be holding deeper the further into June we go, so your free-lines and light-lines will likely need to transition to light-lines and down-lines if you are fishing live-bait, and if fishing artificials you'll need to move to deeper running baits.

Fishing Report - 4/4/15 - Not Sure We'll Repeat This Anytime Soon!

The report below initially appeared on the SMSC Discussion Forum from Mike Ward - a web-based discussion board for Club Members. If you are not participating in this forum you are missing out..... http://smsc-forums.proboards.com

Weather: Temps in the mid-50's, dropping till about lunch, the finally getting over 60. Mostly sunny. Winds from the NW at 15-20 gusting to 25+ Water:53-56, visibility from 1 to 5 feetTechniques: Money-maker to Mongo gizzards on free-lined boards (3-4 on bank-side - 0-2 on deep side), small gizzard or alewife on float (1), small gizzard on free line (1)Time Fished: 6:45a - 11:30a, and then 1:00p - 1:45pLocations Fished: Roanoke-side creeks - channel was un-fishable with the wind.

One our our fishing buddies recently sold his boat and won't have his new ride until late April, and he was Jonesing to get on the spring-time bite, so I offered for him to come along with us. Our plans were bouncing around between a two-boat tag-team with our buddy Nathan, his son and a good friend of his, or some combination - after a lot of back and forth we decided to all jump on my ride together. I had enough gizzards for the next day, but I went out around 10:30 to get some fresh alewifes in case we needed to chase the smaller fish bite to get quantity with everyone aboard. Got a couple of dozen medium ales quickly and decided to see if I could get some more larger to mongo gizzards. Put about 10 more big gizzards in the tank by 11:30 - and then found a text that Nathan and crew were going to wave off due to the forecast for 20 mph winds all day....

The day got off to a really good start - with Tyler hooking up with, and landing a 37" / 19 lb striper - Tyler's 1st Citation of 2015 (and the 1st one for the Spring Season on the ol' Sea Hunt). Then moments later Keith quickly followed with a nice 34" / 14 lb beauty!

We circled the area and they felt pity on the "captain" - and let me catch one.... This fish absolutely slammed the board and sent it screaming back - and thought it was going to be a comparable fish until I went to work on the rod..... not exactly the same class fish - this one around 8 lbs. We pulled a couple of banks in that creek and picked up one more on our way out... this one just shy of a citation at 36" / 18 lbs.

We decided to make a move to a creek which was good to us in the mornings last year at this same time / water temp. Found it barren this time - very little bait in that creek, unlike last year when it was loaded with bait and fish. So we moved to another creek - this one less protected by the wind...

Fought the boat control as well pulled down the bank - got towards the end of our pull when finally a bait came up and got rolled and then crushed.... I got the rod this time and landed a 37.5" / skinny 17 lb striper - my 1st citation of 2015! That fish took out a 2nd planer as it came to the boat, so after we released the fish we spent a few minutes untangling and working to get boards back out. All the while the 3rd bank-side board was floating around out there - off the bank. Keith noticed swirl around the board and yet another fish attacked the bait and Keith went to work! Unbelievably, Keith had just hooked into the biggest fish of the day - 38.25", 21 lbs! Keith's 2nd citation for 2015, but incredibly this was our THIRD CITATION OF THE DAY. Getting one is a great event - 2 in a day would wonderful 3.... just the stuff of dreams - at least for those of us that didn't fish the lake before the fish kill.

We figured we couldn't ask for any more at that point, but went to hit a creek which we've not fished much this time of year.... turns out there may be a reason why... we did mark some deep fish but nothing wanted to play with big gizzards along the banks..... we figure we could have put out some downlines or light lines with ales and picked up some smaller fish, but with a streak of three citations going, ain't nobody got time for that.

Keith needed to get on back to dye Easter Eggs with his little one, so we took him back to his dock and Tyler and I went to grab a bit of lunch... citation catching can work up an appetite in a big way :) After lunch we had time to hit one more creek .... off we went, and sure enough - FISH ON! This one on the smaller side for the day - 14 lbs / 33". After that we made a few passes on the bank as we kept having a fish come and swipe at a bait but it never would fully commit - so we called it a day a little before 2pm...... 7 fish - What we didn't have in quantity, we made up for in quality.... which was our plan anyway :) 22", 33", 36", 37", 37.5" & 38.25" with most of the fish in the high-teens to 21 lbs in weigh & three citations..... one heck of a great day..... you gotta love Spring! Perhaps the "Wind is your friend"....

Post Report Update:

I was back up at the lake for a long Birthday weekend, and headed out solo on the following Thursday, 4/9. Well, I figured I'd try the same spots that we had good success with the weekend before, (Editors Note: You can read the full details of that trip here - http://smsc-forums.proboards.com/thread/419/4-15-spring-break-fishing) I had no action in the first creek so I moved to the creek where we caught the two citations..... I picked up a scrappy smaller striper - and then on down in to the pull a landed a 23"+, 7 lb citation largemouth.... but who want's that.... But things were slower and not as good in there today. I was about to end my pull when I got back out to the start, but decided to turn the corner and pull the other side of the point a ways. Good decision as I soon had a nice fight on my hands - landing my 2nd citation in 5 days! Luckily I had the GoPro running so I was able to get a good "selfie" of this 38.25 / 21 lb fish, but I took a pic on the ruler for the Fish Ladder (and also to submit as a Length Citation to DGIF).

Later, when I was looking at the pics I noticed something really, really cool. The fish I caught that day was the SAME fish that Keith landed 5 days earlier when we were fishing together. Markings / blemishes on the fish confirmed it. It had just relocated to the other end of the creek..... When Keith caught that fish, the hook had knicked its gills so we got it back in the water as quick as we could (and did not end up getting a measurement pic for the ladder as a result) - we didn't have any Mountain Dew on hand (watch the April Club meeting video for info on that...) but we poured a little Diet Coke on its gills and got it back in the water. For those that question if Catch & Release works on these bigger fish when the water conditions are cool, this should silence that doubt. And she's back out there still swimming - hopefully you or I get another shot at her when she's even bigger! Let 'Em Go & Let 'Em Grow!

Tackle Tip for May - Tactics for Breaking Fish

May and early June is great time for some great top-water action. Although it has not been as good after the threadfin die-off a few years ago, breaking schools of fish can still be found. The lower lake is usually the epicenter for this, most often during low-light periods such as evening, daybreak and overcast days. A good vantage point, as well as a pair of binoculars are helpful in finding these breaking fish.

The fish will stay up for anywhere from a few seconds to 5 minutes or more, so you need to get there quick. But DO NOT run into, or over the fish - stop your boat a long cast away from the edge of the school and use your trolling motor. Also be aware that several other boats may be converging on the same fish. Once you've found fish, throw a topwater plug into the school and start working it. Any topwater hard bait will work, just make sure that it's on top - that's what the fish are focusing on. The biggest mistake people make is trying to set the hook when they see the fish smash their lure - wait until you feel the fish on your line before getting the hook.

Unfortunately it doesn't happen every day, there will be lulls that might last a day or a week and after the fish make their spawning attempt they'll start working their way back up the lake arms so you just have to keep hunting them. Usually by the middle of June it's pretty much done, but you never know, you'll rarely find me on the water without a topwater tied on.

Thanks to Steve Nagle for this month's tipImage source: http://montaukfishies.deviantart.com/art/striped-bass-surface-feeding-frenzy-330598729

Pending Club By-Laws Changes

Included with this newsletter (provided as a separate attachment in the e-mail or as an insert to printed copy), you will find a summary of the pending changes to the Club By-Laws which have been proposed & recommended by the Board of Directors. These changes have been recommended after a recent review, to align our Club's operating guidelines to reflect the current state of the Club and ensure we are enabled to grow and operate as needed in the future. Rest assured that the core principles of the Club remain constant. We hope that you will take the time to review the summary of the changes, and if you desire you can review a copy of the draft By-Laws (the current and proposed By-Laws are accessible on the Club Website - http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/smsc-board-info.html). If you have thoughts or concerns, please contact a member of the Board - or you are always welcome to come to a Board of Directors meeting (held at 5:30 the evening of our Club meetings).

Tackle Tip for June - Light-lines

As we enter early June, the water temperatures are continuing to increase with the longer days of sunlight and water temperatures. However, mornings can still be cool and fish are often still shallow in early June - at least during the morning hours.

If fishing live-bait, try pulling some light-lines - basically a Carolina Rig - with a small weight in the 1/8 to 3/8 range. The rigging is simple, and the same as your down-line rigs. Place a weight on the main line, optionally a bead below the weight depending on the size of the hole in your weight and the size of your swivels (note the picture shown has the bead above... for this purpose place the bead below the weight - an above the swivel), and then tie to a quality swivel. On the other end of the swivel tie an arm's length of fluorocarbon leader of your desired strength, with the hook on the other end.

You can fish light-lines behind a planer board, a float or just off the side of the boat. Fishing them about 45-55' out from the boat when pulling around 0.7 mph with a 3/8 oz weight tends to place your baits in the "money zone". When fishing with a float or planer we often run them a bit shorter due to the hassle of snagging, but you need some length behind the float/planer to allow the lines to get down.

Try experimenting with different weights across a few rods to see where the fish are that day - remember, stripers will generally only feed "up" - at baits above them in the water column, so you may want to err on the side of lighter, thus shallower.

Image source: http://www.daybreakfishing.com/bait/carolina-rigs.html

Ignore the 2014 date in the form below - we'll eventually get around to updating that when we get a break in catching fish :)

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